The invention relates to a beater for sticking a drum, said beater comprising an element which is swivel-mounted in relation to an axis, said element bearing a head which is intended to strike the drum and being associated to a return mechanism.
Commercial beater for striking a drum comprises an element which is swivel-mounted in relation to an axis, said element bearing a head which is intended to strike the drum and which is connected to a mechanism operated by the foot in order to displace the head towards the drum and to a return mechanism for moving said head away from said drum, said beater comprising a support, and a shaft which is borne by said support and on which said element is mounted.
Beaters of this known type are of complicated construction and result in considerable fatigue for the drummer.
Beaters are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,494. The beater of this document comprises a support with two legs between which a rotating shaft extends. The shaft is mounted on said legs with interposition of bearings. An element bearing the head intended to strike the drum is fixedly mounted on the shaft. A further element is fixedly mounted on said shaft, said further element being connected to the mechanism operated by the foot. The operation of the foot mechanism provokes the rotation of the shaft, whereby the movement of the head for striking the drum. The shaft has a hexagonal cross section for preventing movement of elements fixedly attached thereto, during the operation of the foot mechanism.
The present invention aims to beater of simple construction, enabling an easy use of the beater and/or enabling specific use of the beater, whereby enabling to obtain specific sounds or rhythms.
The beater of the invention intended for striking a drum comprises an element which is swivel-mounted in relation to an axis, said element bearing a head which is intended to strike the drum and which is connected to a mechanism operated by the foot in order to displace the head towards the drum and to a return mechanism for moving said head away from said drum, said beater comprising a support, and a shaft which is borne by said support and on which said element is mounted.
The beater according to the invention comprises an intermediate part having a recess intended to receive at least part of at least one bearing mounted on the shaft so that said intermediate part can swivel about the shaft, whilst said element is mounted on said intermediate part. The return mechanism is designed in order to exert a return force on a said intermediate part or on a piece attached to said intermediate part. Although the shaft can be mounted so that it can move in relation to the support, it is advantageously fixed in relation to said support.
In one particular embodiment of a beater according to the invention, the intermediate part or a piece or component attached thereto comprises a means of fixation for a first part or end of the return means, said means being designed in order to fix said first part or end at a point which is distant from the axis of the shaft about which the intermediate part can swivel, whilst the return means comprises a second part or end which is connected to said support by a system which is swivel-mounted on said support. Possibly, abutments can be provided for limiting the swivel movement of the system.
The beater preferably comprises a means which is capable of being displaced between a position which enables said system to be swivelled and a position which substantially prevents any swivelling of said system.
According to one particular embodiment, the return means has an inoperative position in which the first part or end and the second part or end of the return means extend substantially in a plane in which the swivelling axis of the intermediate part and the swivelling axis of the system extend. This means that in its inoperative position the return means exerts a force in a direction which extends in the plane which passes through or which is defined by the swivelling axis of the intermediate part and the swivelling axis of the system.
According to another particular embodiment, the return means has an inoperative position in which the first part or end and the second part or end of the return means extend substantially along a straight line or axis which intersects the swivelling axis of the intermediate part, and a return position (a position in which the return means tends to return the parts which it joins into the inoperative position) in which the first part or end and the second part or end of the return means extend substantially along a straight line or axis which is remote from the swivelling axis and which is inclined in relation to the plane in which the swivelling axis of the intermediate part and the swivelling axis of the system extend. According to one possible detail of this embodiment, a stop limits the swivelling of the system so that the return means has an inoperative position in which the first part or end and the second part or end of the return means extend substantially along a straight line or axis which intersects the swivelling axis of the intermediate part, and a return position (a position in which the return means tends to return the parts which it joins into the inoperative position) in which the first part or end and the second part or end of the return means extend substantially along a straight line or axis which is inclined in relation to the plane in which the swivelling axis of the intermediate part and the swivelling axis of the system extend.
The present invention also relates to a beater comprising an intermediate part on which a part is mounted at which serves to support the beater head or a rod which bears the beater head. In this beater, the mechanism operated by the foot comprises a swivelling pedal and a linkage which extends between said pedal and said intermediate part. The intermediate part comprises a guide means which serves to support part of the linkage and which enables the linkage to wind or unwind on said guide means during the movement of the pedal. In particular, said linkage is a chain and said guide means is part of a ring gear. For example, the ring gear part can be disposed on the intermediate part so that the distance which separates the chain from the swivelling axis of the intermediate part is a minimum when the return means is in its inoperative position or when the head is separated from the drum.
According to another embodiment of the beater according to the invention, the first part or end of the return means is attached to an element which is capable of slipping, rolling or sliding a long a first wall which is comprised by a part which is attached to the intermediate part. The part which is attached to the intermediate part is advantageously a wheel having a groove along which said element is supported, said wheel being mounted on a moveable shaft borne by a body which is joined to the intermediate part. The intermediate part preferably bears a shaft, the axis of which is substantially parallel to the swivelling axis of the intermediate part, whilst the body is mounted on said shaft of the intermediate part.
According to one possible embodiment, said body is swivel-mounted on said shaft and has an inoperative position, whilst said intermediate part has a striker pin which, when the intermediate part swivels in the direction in which it approaches the head of the drum, bears on said body and pushes said body into a position remote from its inoperative position.
The invention relates also to a beater for striking a drum, said beater comprising:
an element which is swivel-mounted in relation to an axis, said element bearing a head which is intended to strike the drum and which is connected to a mechanism operated by the foot in order to displace the head towards the drum and to a return mechanism for moving said head away from said drum,
a support,
a shaft which is borne by said support and on which said element is mounted, and
an intermediate part having a recess intended to receive at least part of a bearing mounted on the shaft so that said intermediate part can swivel about the shaft, said intermediate part being provided with a rod,
whereby the return mechanism comprises a rolled spring blade with an inner end attached to the rod of the intermediate part and an outer end connected to the support by means of a connecting piece, said spring blade exerting a return force for moving the head away from the drum. The use of such a spring blade is advantageous, as the spring blade can be placed in a chamber, such as a substantially closed chamber, whereby protecting the spring blade and whereby preventing the possible soil thereof. When the chamber is substantially closed, the spring blade can be provided with oil(s), grease(s), lubricating means, anti corrosion means, etc. whereby ensuring substantially constant properties for the spring blade. It is obvious that instead of using one spring blade, it is possible to use two, three, or more spring blades, exerting a same return force or different return forces.
Advantageously, the connecting piece is adapted for controlling the return force of the spring blade.
For example, the connecting piece is mounted rotating with respect to an axis corresponding to the axis of rotation of the element bearing the head, and in which the beater comprises a system for maintaining the connecting piece in rotated positions with respect to the axis. Such a rotating connecting piece is advantageous, as by using marks or arrows on the connecting piece and on the support, it is possible to control and/or to select the desired return force.
Another beater of the invention is a beater for striking a drum, which comprises:
an element which is swivel-mounted in relation to an axis, said element bearing a head which is intended to strike the drum and which is connected to a mechanism operated by the foot in order to displace the head towards the drum and to a return mechanism for moving said head away from said drum, the element moving according to a swivel movement of the element from a substantially stable position up to a position where the head contacts the drum,
a support, and
a shaft which is borne by said support and on which said element is mounted,
whereby the return mechanism comprises a first part attached to an intermediate body which is at least partly swivel-mounted in relation to the swivel axis of the element, and whereby the element and the intermediate body are in relation to each other so that the return mechanism does not act on the element for a first portion of the swivel movement thereof adjacent to the stable position, while acting on the element for at least a second portion of the swivel movement different from the first portion. Such a device is advantageous for enabling a quick or rapid initial movement of the mechanism operated by the foot for moving the element towards the drum.
According to an embodiment of this beater, the intermediate body is mounted rotating with respect to the axis of the element, and in which the element comprises an abutment intended to contact a part of the intermediate body for said second portion of the swivel movement, while not contacting said part of the intermediate body during the first portion of the swivel movement. Advantageously, the beater is further provided with a mechanism suitable for adapting the relative position between the abutment and the part of the intermediate body so as to define the first portion of the swivel movement.
Still a further beater of the invention is a beater for striking a drum, which comprises:
an element which is swivel-mounted in relation to an axis, said element bearing a head which is intended to strike the drum and which is connected to a mechanism operated by the foot in order to displace the head towards the drum and to a return mechanism for moving said head away from said drum, said return mechanism having a first part and a second part associated to each other,
a support with a supporting shaft, a hollow extending in the support as well as in the supporting shaft between two open ends, and
an intermediate part having a recess intended to receive at least part of a bearing mounted on the hollow rod of the support and having a rod extending through the hollow shaft and the hollow of the support, said rod having a free end extending outside of the hollow of the support,
whereby said element is mounted on said intermediate part, and whereby the return mechanism is designed in order to exert a return force on an component selected from the rod and pieces attached to said rod.
A further embodiment of a beater of the invention comprises:
an element which is swivel-mounted in relation to an axis, said element bearing a head which is intended to strike the drum and which is connected to a mechanism operated by the foot in order to displace the head towards the drum and to a return mechanism for moving said head away from said drum, said return mechanism having a first part and a second part associated to each other,
a support, and
a shaft which is borne by said support and on which said element is mounted,
whereby the return mechanism is designed in order to exert a return force between a component connected to the element and piece connected to the support, whereby said component comprises a means of fixation for the first part of the return mechanism, said means of fixation of said first part being designed in order to fix said first part at a point which is distant from the axis of the element, while the piece to which the second part of the return mechanism is attached is swivel-mounted with respect to said support.
The invention relates also to a beater provided with a return mechanism comprising a rolled spring blade.
It is obvious that a beater of the invention can be associated to one or more beaters not of the invention and/or of the invention, so as to form a beater assembly with at least two heads for striking one single drum and/or different drums. The beaters of one assembly have advantageously at least one different characteristic, said characteristic being for example type of head, length of the arm bearing the head, return force, return mechanism, initial movement substantially free of resistance, etc. Preferably two or more beaters of the invention are associated or combined.
It is also possible to use one single return mechanism for moving back two mechanisms activated by a foot.
The invention also relates to a method of playing pieces of music by means of a drum and one beater according to the invention.
Particular features and details of the invention follow from the detailed description given below, in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings.